Day Nineteen: Praise Challenge

It’s Easter Sunday. Resurrection Day. This day is bursting with built-in praise. It is a day that was created with pockets full of worship. We celebrate with our church communities, and we feast with our friends and families, enjoying the blessings and the freedom that flow from what God has done for us in Christ.

Before the day is behind me, I want to take a few moments to view the Resurrection of Jesus through a more penetrating lens. I want to remember again what it means for me personally. And this year, I’d like to share those thoughts with you.

I once was lost. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I have been found by Him. I have been called out of a life of deep darkness, and into a life of great light.

I once was bound, stuck in habits and lifestyles and mentalities that reaped only deeper messes, and I was leaving a trail of brokenness behind me everywhere I went. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I am free. No more addiction. No more habits, lifestyles and mentalities that overpower me. No more trails of destruction behind me. Only hope and promise and life ahead of me.

I once was depressed. In fact, I was paralyzed by depression. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I am no longer depressed. I have real joy. I am not chained to my bed or to my fears anymore. He took it all from me.

I once was enslaved to a generational curse – more than one, actually. Addiction, codependency, drama, toxic relationships, and divorce were my destiny. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I am free from that curse. I am a new creation. I have a new destiny. I have the real possibility of new choices.

I once was afraid to be a mother. I feared not having anything good to give my children. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I am a mother…of more kids than I can count some days! And though I am far from perfect, I know God has given me life to give to my children. And I can’t imagine a more worthy job!

I once was imprisoned by bitterness and unforgiveness. It suffocated my heart for years. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I have embraced God’s forgiveness so fully that it has enabled me to give it away freely to the people who have hurt me. And my heart is free from the weight of all I once held onto and took personally.

I once was a nobody. Despised, rejected, betrayed and abandoned, many times by many people. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I am someone. I am chosen, beloved, and cherished by the God Who made me. I know that nothing in this world can separate me from His furious, jealous love for me. I don’t ever feel insignificant anymore.

I once was a wanderer. I had no direction, no aim, no target. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, I am still a wanderer, but not in the same way. I wander this earth, on my way toward my future and forever home. But I have a very clear direction, because I am led by the Spirit of God each day. I am aimed straight at the Kingdom of Darkness, that I might shine the glorious light of God for all those who are dwelling there to see, so that they may receive the same hope I have been given.

I once was wounded. Life had delivered more blows than I could make sense of, and I was staggering under the grief. Because Jesus died and rose from the grave, for me, my pain now has a purpose. My wounds have been healed. There is real beauty arising from the ashes of my fiery trials. I know that, truly, all things work for my good because I love and am loved by God, and I fear no hard thing. Even in my tough times, I can see the goodness of God all around me.

These are just a few of the miraculous ways my life has been touched and changed by the irrevocable life of Jesus. He has literally put praises in my mouth, and so I will proclaim them, gladly. May you find a few moments before the day ends to ponder the significance of His resurrection in your own life, and may you lay down to rest tonight with a heart full of praise.